Love at First Flight
by Lola Schatzi
Summary: Bella is on her way home a few days early to surprise her boyfriend on their anniversary. What happens when she meets the most incredible man she's ever laid eyes on during the flight? All human,All the usual pairings, a B/E story!
1. Chapter 1

Love at First Flight- A Twilight FanFic

Love at First Flight

_**Disclaimer:**_

_**All Characters belong to the amazing Stephenie Meyer! **_

Chapter 1- _BPOV_

As I boarded the red-eye flight in Orlando, Florida I was doing my very best in my sleepy state not to fall over and knock down every passenger in the boarding line. I of course was at the very back of the large plane, and had to wait as every passenger before me, found their seat, and stored their carry on luggage in one of the overhead compartments.

"Only three more rows of seats to go," I thought to myself. My eyes were starting to close without my permission, and I silently prayed that the passengers in front of me would hurry. I didn't want to fall over, knocking them down and causing a domino effect. It's no secret to anyone who knows me that my clumsiness is just something that comes with the package I like to call 'Bella Swan'. Most of the time people find it humorous, but I couldn't help but wonder how many enemies I would make, were I to take out a plane of tired people with my clumsy ways. I willed myself to stay awake as I slowly made my way to my seat.

My luck must have been with me tonight, because I collapsed into my seat before I could inflict any harm on the innocent passengers of the plane. By day, I was clumsy as an ox; and by night, when I was sleepy, I don't even think there was a category for how disabled I seemed to be.

I quickly pulled my ipod out of the bag at my feet, and put the familiar white ear buds into my ears. I ignored my knowledge of not using electronics until after take off, and pulled my hood up over my head, to keep my head phones out of sight from the flight attendants. Luckily I was sitting next to the window, so I could lean my head against the wall, and not have to worry about having to move for other passengers who were also sitting in my row.

I was vaguely aware of the seat next to me being taken, as I drifted off to sleep, letting my soothing play list quiet the bustling plane around me. In not too long, I would be back in the arms of the man that I loved. That's why I was on this flight in the first place. Only he would be worth taking a flight through the night to get home to him. The three years of our lives together had been filled with so much love and happiness, I couldn't believe how lucky I was. He was an amazing man, and it was the least I could do to come home and surprise him on our anniversary. I can't believe I even thought about being away for it in the first place.

As I drifted deeper in to sleep, my dreams were all of me, and my amazing boyfriend. Mike.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer:**_

_**All Characters belong to the amazing Stephenie Meyer! **_

I felt a soft tapping on my arm, and I groggily opened my eyes, pulling out my ear buds to see who was waking me from my less than comfortable sleep. As my eyes focused on the elderly woman sitting next to me, I was relieved that I hadn't snapped at her like I thought about doing.

"We're here dear," she spoke softly to me.

I looked around, and sure enough, a line of sleepy and silent passengers were exiting the plane. I looked back to the kind woman.

"Thank you for waking me." I gave her the best smile I could muster up at 5:00 in the morning, and proceeded to put my ipod back in my bag.

I waited until the plane had all but emptied of passengers before I felt safe enough to walk down the narrow aisle. I was just as tired as when I boarded the plane, and I surely would knock someone over this time. My luck wasn't that good, as to let me on and off the plane without an accident.

As I walked out into the Chicago O'Hare International airport, I looked up to fin out where I needed to go to find the outgoing flights information. I knew I had at least a two hour layover, so I wasn't in a big hurry, but it would be nice to get to my gate and stretch out on one of the benches. I quickly found where my flight was leaving from, grateful that I didn't have to walk too far. I couldn't fathom how many times I would have to pick myself up off the floor if I had to trek to an entirely different terminal.

I found the gate I would be departing out of, and made sure that the flight was still on time. Sure enough, flight 578 to Seattle would be leaving on time at 7:35. I looked at my watch, and realized that I had a little over two hours until they would start boarding the plane. I found an empty bench next to the window and plopped myself down, grateful to be able to stretch out my legs. I didn't dare listen to my ipod now, for fear of missing my flight. So I let the quiet sounds of a nearly empty airport assist me in dozing off to sleep.

I awoke to a lot of noise, and shifting luggage. I silently congratulated myself for not sleeping through my flight, and gathered my things to join to line to board the plane.

As I stepped onto the plane, I looked at my ticket to find my seat number. I continued to walk farther toward the back of the plane, when I realized that I would be sitting in the VERY back row of the airplane. The seats that didn't recline, not even a fraction of an inch. I groaned internally as I went to take my seat, once again finding myself next to the window.

Thank goodness the stewardess was passing out coffee to those of us unfortunate enough to hit up Starbucks before we got on the plane. I gladly accepted the small Styrofoam cup, and sipped greedily at it while watching the passengers take their seats. As I watched the steady flow of people make their way to their seats, I wondered what poor souls would be unlucky enough to join me in what was most likely the worst row of the airplane.

Suddenly I locked eyes with what could possibly be the most handsome face I have ever seen.

"If only I could be lucky enough to have him stuck back here with me," I sighed in my head.

And then for some unfathomable reason, he came all the way back to my row. I quickly hid the shocked look on my face while he stored his bag, and had a nice smile on my face as he sat down.

"Welcome to the row of seats that don't recline!" I don't know where I got my courage to speak to this incredibly good looking man.

He chuckled softly to himself as he spoke, "Yes we are the lucky ones aren't we?"

My heart beat erratically as I gazed at the most heart wrenching, and beautiful smile I had ever seen in my life. I smiled back warmly at him, and then turned to face forward, having an internal battle in my head.

'Remember why you are on these horrifically early flights in the first place,' I internally scolded myself.

I had been in Florida, visiting my mother Renee, helping her to move into the new house she and Phil bought together. I hadn't seen her in a long time, and practically jumped at the chance to go, especially when she told me she had already bought my ticket. The only problem about the trip, was that I would be gone for my 3 year anniversary with my live-in boyfriend Mike. He was upset, but understanding, and assured me that we would celebrate when I returned.

I finished up with my mothers house a few days early, and decided to get a flight out right away, so I would make it home to celebrate with Mike. It was a surprise, so he didn't know I was coming, but I knew it would make him so happy. So I sucked it up, and booked my red-eye flight out of Orlando, and now here I am.

I felt almost guilty for being so attracted to the stranger sitting next to me, when I was flying home to surprise the man I was in love with. And I couldn't help but curse myself for not cleaning myself up a little better for the flight. I was in a comfy pair of black yoga pants, and my favorite hooded sweatshirt that I stole from Mike before I left. It didn't matter what time of year it was, I always froze to death on flights. I had taken enough in my time, to always dress warmly for a plane ride. I laughed to myself, because it was the beginning of summer, and warm, yet I was dressed like it was 40 degrees outside instead of 80. I slipped my flip flops off, and pulled my super cozy socks out of my bag. As I was putting the pink fuzzy socks on my feet, I heard the smooth voice behind me speak,

"Nice socks!" He smirked at me, "You're bundled up so tight, you'd think it was January, not June!" He laughed toward me, and I couldn't help but laugh along with him.

"I can't help it!" I laughed. "It's not my fault they can't find a decent temperature to keep airplanes at".

He shook his head at me, grinning that breathtaking grin of his, and stuck his hand out to me.

"I'm Edward," he smiled at me. "I look forward to enjoying this apparently cold flight with you."

I took his hand and introduced myself back to him.

"My name is Bella, and you wont be laughing too hard when I'm the only warm one after take off!"

We shook hands and laughed together as the captain came on informing us that we were about to take off.

"So Bella," he spoke. "I figure, since we are stuck in the most uncomfortable seats on the plane, not much sleeping will be done; And, I would love it if you would please tell me about yourself."

I wondered what could possibly interest this gorgeous man about me, but I brushed that thought off, grateful for a distraction from the awful seats.

"Well," I started, "As you know I'm Bella and I'm 23 years old. I'm from a little town called Forks, Washington, but I currently live in Seattle. I moved there with my best friend Alice right after we graduated high school. She and I have known eachother since we were in diapers, and have been inseparable from day one. She moved out of our apartment about a year ago to go live with her boyfriend, Jasper, and I currently am living with my boyfriend of three year Mike."

I watched as his face fell ever so slightly at my last statement, but he continued to ask more about me.

"And what brings you to Chicago? If you don't mind me asking," he added quietly.

"Not at all!" I began. "I am actually flying through Chicago. I've been in Florida visiting my mother, and helping her move into to her new house. I've been flying all night long, so that I can get back a little early and surprise my boyfriend. Today is our three year anniversary."

Edward nodded along with me, and I thought I heard him say something to himself, but all I could catch was something that sounded like, 'lucky man'.

I felt bad that I seemed to be making him uncomfortable talking about my relationship, so I decided to turn the questioning on to him.

"But that's enough about me for now," I spoke quickly. "Why don't you tell me about yourself?"

He visibly relaxed at the change in topic, and started to tell me about himself.

"Well, I am currently living in Chicago, finishing up my last year of residency actually. I am originally from Seattle, and flying home for my sister's wedding. Apparently she has a full month of festivities leading up to the big day, and she and my mom practically begged me to fly home for all of it. I'm a totally sucker when it comes to the women in my family, so I agreed, and here I am!"

"It sounds like you have a busy month ahead of you." He nodded back at me.

"Yes well, when your one and only sibling gets married, I suppose it's only natural to devote yourself to whatever they subject you to."

I had to laugh at that, and couldn't stop thinking about how amazing this man seemed to be. I could see the love in his eyes as he spoke about my family, and I knew that they were everything to him. I couldn't help but ask my next question.

"Tell me about your future brother in law? Are you okay with your sister's decision?"

"Who Emmett?" He seemed to laugh at the thought of him. "He's like the big brother I never wanted!" He laughed even harder. "He pesters me, and teases me, and treats me like I'm 6 instead of 26. Never the less, he is perfect for my sister, and I have never seen her so completely happy in my life. He loves her fiercely and I couldn't be happier for the two of them."

I couldn't stop from smiling myself as he spoke of Emmett, and their relationship, and then sigh audibly when he spoke of Emmett's love for his sister. I took in all of his amazing features as he started telling me some of the details of the wedding. His thick bronze hair was casually styled, and it seemed as though he just gave up on trying to do anything with it at all. It was unruly, to put it midly. He had deep green eyes that seemed to sparkle not matter if there was light shining in them or not. And his perfectly shaped mouth was very expressive with every word he spoke. I don't know if I had ever met someone so visually perfect. I tried not to look any farther down than his face, reminding myself of the loving boyfriend I would be seeing in just a few hours. I was brought out of my trance my Edward's velvet voice in my ear.

"Bella." He spoke softly, and my heart about jumped out of my chest from his close proximity to me. He leaned back to look at me and laughed at my shocked face.

"I'm sorry," he began. "I must be boring you to death talking about my sister's wedding details. Please forgive me."

I shook my still swimming head slightly. I focused on his amazing eyes, which were apologetic, and a little sad.

"Oh, no, no!!" I almost shouted. "Please don't apologize; I was actually daydreaming as you spoke. I heard everything you said, I just think I zoned out for a minute there. Please forgive me!"

His eyes brightened and he chuckled softly at me. He smiled that signature smile of his and said, "I suppose I will forgive you, but only if I can have your full and undivided attention for the remainder of the flight."

I smiled widely back at him and said, "I definitely think that can be arranged."

We spoke candidly for the next hour. Telling each other everything there was to know about ourselves. We spent a lot of time talking about our families, and then school. What our lives were like growing up. He seemed very excited when I told him that I was a photographer, and he couldn't stop gushing about how much he would love to see my work. I couldn't help but blush at that, which only seemed to egg him on more.

Edward was a genuinely wonderful person. His mother must be an incredible woman to have raised such a son. He was so easy to talk to, and it seemed as though we had known each other for our entire lives, instead of 2 hours.

Sometime during all of our talking, both of us had drifted off to sleep. How we did that, sitting in those cramped seats was beyond me, and I practically jumped into the ceiling when I awoke and realized I was sleeping all that time with my head on his shoulder.

He jolted awake as I probably scared him senseless with my theatrics.

"Oh, Edward! I am so sorry!" I was blushing furiously now, and I hung my hair over my face to hide my shame.

Edward slowly tucked my hair back behind my ear, and put his finger under my chin to turn my head towards him. I think that my heart was about to stop at his soft touch.

"Bella, you have nothing to be sorry for. It was actually a very peaceful sleep. I don't think I'll ever look at the back row of the aircraft the same again." He smiled warmly at me as he spoke, and my mortification seemed to die down just a bit.

"Thank you Edward, and it was a surprisingly comfortable sleep." I felt guilty through and through. I was physically attracted to this man, and it seemed emotionally as well. I felt horrible having these thoughts as the plane landed and I realized that I would be seeing Mike very soon.

Edward and I sat in comfortable silence as the plane pulled into the gate, and all the passengers started getting off.

We were the last ones on the plane, and it was totally empty when Edward turned to look at me, with an anguished expression on his face.

"Bella I," He hesitated as he began again. "Bella, I can't tell you how much I enjoyed meeting you. I've never met such an amazing woman in my life, and I wish you the best of luck in everything. I hope that your boyfriend knows just how lucky he is to have you. If I were him, I would hold tight and never let you go."

With that he stood, quickly grabbed his bag from overhead, and strode quickly off the plane. I sat there, in shock of his agonized confession, and only got up to leave when the flight attendant saw me and asked me if everything was alright. I simply nodded, put my bag over my shoulder, and got off the plane. I was home, and my heart was silently breaking for this beautiful man. I found my car in the parking lot, and drove toward the apartment I shared with Mike.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3-

Chapter 3-

_**Disclaimer:**_

_**All Characters belong to the amazing Stephenie Meyer!**_

As I drove home, all I could think about was Edward. The sadness in his eyes as he said goodbye, and the way my heart seemed to react to his pain, almost making it my own. I blinked back the tears and thought about how happy he would make some woman one day. I surprised myself at feeling anger towards the thought that I would never be that woman.

How could I possibly feel this way? I've known Edward for 3 hours, and now we have parted ways forever. How could I feel this strongly toward someone.

I tried to convince myself that it was just was fatigue making me feel all funny in the head. It didn't seem possible for a stranger to be able to affect me this strongly. I vowed to not let it affect me anymore. I was madly in love with Mike. He had been by my side for three years! I couldn't throw something like that away because of one man I barely knew. I quickly composed myself, pushing all thoughts of Edward out of my head as I pulled up to our apartment building.

I parked the car in my usual spot, and noticed that Mike's car was also in the parking lot as well. I was hoping to get showered and dressed up before he saw me, but I suppose he wont care what I look like.

I lugged my suitcase up the two flights of stairs to my apartment. I dug around my bag for my keys, and shoved them into the lock. I opened the door, drug my suitcase inside and slammed the door. It was always so nice to be home. I quickly called out Mike's name, and as I did I heard a loud thud come from the bedroom.

'I must have scared him,' I laughed to myself. I walked down to the end of the hallway to our bedroom. I stood outside the door, ready to celebrate three wonderful years with an amazing man.

As I opened our bedroom door, I tried to sound as sultry as possible while saying,

"Honey, I'm ho…" But I was cut off. I stopped dead in my tracks as all the air whooshed out of my lungs.

There, standing completely nude in my bedroom was Mike. To call the expression on his face guilty would be an understatement. To his right, on MY bed was his secretary, Jessica, wrapped in nothing but a sheet. She had an equally guilty expression on her face, and her cheeks were beet red.

"B-Bella!" Mike stuttered. "I thought you weren't coming home until Sunday."

"Like that's supposed to make this okay MIKE!" I screamed at him. "I can't believe you, on our anniversary, sleeping with your whore of a secretary!"

Jessica was about to speak, but was silenced quickly by the dark look I shot her.

"Baby, I'm sorry, really! This is nothing, REALLY!" Mike babbled on like that for what seemed like forever when I finally cut him off.

"Both of you better get the hell out of MY apartment before I call the police. And Mike, I'll leave your stuff in boxes outside, you can pick it up tomorrow. I don't ever want to see you again. Now GET OUT!!"

I was beyond angry at this point. I was shaking so badly it took all my energy not to collapse right there. But I seemed to get my point across. Without even bothering to put on all their clothes, Mike and Jessica all but ran out of my apartment. As soon as the door shut behind them I fell to the floor.

My body was wracked in uncontrollable sobs. I laid on the floor for hours before I finally had no more tears to shed. I crawled out of my room and on to the couch in the living room. I wrapped myself in the blanket that was on the sofa, and pulled out my phone to call the only person who would always be there for me, through thick and thin.

After the phone rang a few times, the overly cheerful voice of my best friend came over the line.

"Bell? Is that you?" Sadly this was one time where Alice's enthusiasm wouldn't change my black mood. Nor would it heal the audible breaking of my heart.

"Alice…" My voice was a whisper, and I barely got her name out. "Alice I need you."

"Bella where are you? Are you home yet?" Alice sounded a little bit frantic at the tone in my voice. I couldn't blame her, I was going to pieces.

"I'm home, please come over as soon as you can." I was holding back the tears once more.

"I'll be right there, don't move!" And I hung up the phone.

When Jasper asked Alice to move in with him, her only requirement was that she live as close to me as possible. Jasper would do anything for that girl, and he moved out of his own apartment across town, to live just a block away from me in an adorable little house.

I was grateful for the short distance between us as I lay on the couch and waited for Alice to arrive. It seemed like only a moment had passed before I heard a key in the lock, and Alice came running in. She quickly came over to me, and sat on the floor by my head. She looked into my pained eyes and stroked my hair as she spoke.

"Bella, honey, what happened?" Alice was fighting tears back herself as she saw the state I was in. I didn't know how I was going to get through telling her what just happened, but I had to do it, I needed her to help get me through this.

I hesitated before beginning. "You know I was coming home early to surprise Mike on our Anniversary." She nodded at me, urging me with her eyes to continue.

"Well, I got home this afternoon, and came home to find Mike, and his Secretary Jessica, in our bed."

At this Alice gasped. "Why that little…." She trailed off a string of profanities. "What did you do?"

"What else could I do Alice? I came home to find the love of my life in bed with that whore? And on our three year anniversary! I screamed like a crazy woman and kicked them out of my house! Then I fell on the floor and sobbed like a baby for hours. Eventually I had nothing left to cry out, and that's when I called you."

Tears were filling her eyes as she heard the pain in my voice. She immediately engulfed me in a huge hug, and we both started crying together. She pulled away after a minute and looked at me.

"Bella I don't want you to have to worry too much over this. I know that's asking a lot, but please let Jasper and I help you out! Let us pack and box all of Mike's things for you. You don't need those painful reminders. Come stay at our house for a few days while I get your apartment Mike free, and ready for you to live in again."

I could see her mind working as she thought of all the things that she needed to do to 'de-Mike' my life so to speak. And this was why I loved Alice. She thought of everything before it even entered my mind. She always knew just what to do to help me, and exactly how to fix almost every problem I ever had.

"Alice you don't know how much that means to me." I wiped the tears away as I spoke to her. "I don't think I could stand to see all the reminders of our relationship. It would just be too hard. I just need to move on with my life, and get him out of it!"

With that Alice pulled her cell phone out of her pocket to make a call.

"Jasper! I need you to come to Bella's right away. I will explain everything when you get here, but please hurry! There is so much to be done!"

She was in true Alice form right now. She may seem demanding, but after you get to know her, you just realize that she is fiercely loyal to her friends, and will do anything for them. I was so glad when she found Jasper. They are truly soul mates, and I couldn't imagine a more perfect person for her in my life. And not only was he perfect for Alice, but he took me in as a sister from the moment he met me. He knew how close Alice and I were, and we became extremely protective of me as well. If only I could meet someone so amazing.

No more than 5 minutes later, breathless Jasper came bounding through my front door. I couldn't help but let a small giggle out at his flustered state.

"Alice, sweetheart, are you alright? Bella what's going on?" He was truly frazzled as he knew something was very wrong, but didn't know who with, or what it was.

Alice immediately threw herself at Jasper. "Oh Jasper! It's horrible! That lying no good Mike Newton brought his sleazy secretary into his and Bella's bed. And Bella caught them."

Jasper's frame turned rigid, and his eyes turned to slits. "Where is he Bella? I'll kill him! I can't believe he did this to you, and on your anniversary!"

Jasper started pacing the room, fuming, and I tried to calm him down.

"Please Jasper, it's alright. I kicked him and his whore out, and I'm going to come and stay at your house for a few days while Alice de-Mikes my house." I was trying to sound strong, but I knew I wasn't fooling anyone. Jasper took one look at me and his expression softened.

"Oh Bella, I'm so sorry this happened to you. We all thought the Mike was the one. You've been together for so long." Jasper's words started the tears going again, and Jasper quickly tried to cheer me up.

"But it will be so great to have you at our house for a few days! Alice and I will take care of everything, please don't worry yourself about it one bit." Jasper had walked back over to Alice by this time and had his arms around her tiny shoulders. I looked at two of the best people on the planet and got up off the couch.

"Well, I think I need to get out of here. Alice, do you mind packing my overnight bag? I'm just going to go splash some cold water on my face."

"Of course I don't mind Bella. Take your time; we'll leave as soon as you are ready." Alice was already headed toward my room to get my things.

As the three of us left my apartment I was so happy I had my best friends look out for me. The drive to Alice and Jasper's house was short, and I was exhausted. As soon as I climbed into the guest bed, I fell into a deep dreamless sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

I climbed into the guest bed, I fell into a deep dreamless sleep

_**Disclaimer:**_

_**All Characters belong to the amazing Stephenie Meyer!**_

When I woke in the morning, my eyes were practically swollen shut from all the crying I had done the night before. I was afraid of what I might see when I looked in the mirror, because I hadn't looked yet, and my hair felt like it was matted in tiny knots all over my head. I could also feel the heat from the tiny red splotches that were sure to be covering my face. Against my better judgment I decided to get up and go into the bathroom, to see if I could make some improvement to my disheveled state.

It was no shock when I went to the mirror and saw my reflection. I frowned slightly and inwardly cursed Mike for having such a profound effect on my appearance. I swiftly ran a brush through my hair, getting the knots out as best I could, and threw it on top of my head in a messy bun. I took more time washing my face, trying to scrub out the tears that I was sure were deeply imbedded in my skin by now. I put on some facial cream, to hopefully help with the redness, and sighed, knowing that it wasn't going to get much better today. Besides, who knows when I might go on another crying jag? No need to fix myself up, only to ruin it again.

I went back into Alice's guest room, to find that she had already filled the closet and dresser drawers with my clothes. She must have either been up very late, or ridiculously early. Either way, I silently thanked her as I found some comfortable clothes to wear.

As I made my way to the kitchen, I could smell something wonderful, and realized that I hadn't eaten a thing yesterday besides my coffee on the airplane. I was suddenly starving, and relieved that good food wasn't too far off. Walking into the kitchen, I found Jasper busy over the stove, cooking something that smelled absolutely mouthwatering!

"Jasper, that smells amazing! I hope you are making enough to share?" I asked hopefully. Jasper laughed at my response and turned slightly to answer me.

"Alice demanded I cook a large breakfast for you, so I'm actually hoping that you will leave enough for little old me." With that he winked at me, and turned back around to finish making the meal.

Lucky for Jasper he cooked a lot of food, and me having not eaten the day before, seemed to have a shrinking effect on my stomach. But the food was amazing, and Jasper and I enjoyed a casual conversation while we ate.

"So, what are your plans for the day Jasper?" He paused in between bites to answer.

"Well, I will be helping Alice out over at your place as soon as I'm done eating, and tonight I actually have some wedding party for my cousin to go to."

"Like the actual wedding or the reception?" I asked him

"Ha…" he snorted, "I wish! It seems my cousin's fiancée has a whole month of wedding things planned, and since I am the best man I'm being forced to attend all of it!"

"Well at least you'll have Alice with you through it all, right? That won't make it too unbearable."

"I suppose you're right," he answered, "but I would still rather attend a typical wedding weekend like most normal couples have. This is just dragging it on too long!"

I laughed at his annoyance, and got up from the table to wash my dishes.

"Thanks for breakfast Jasper, It was incredible! If you keep this up, I might never want to leave!"

"Anything for my girls," Jasper responded. Alice didn't know how lucky she was.

I walked out to sit in the front room, contemplating my relationship with Mike. Why is it that you're always able to see the negative point of your relationship only after it's over? Seeing Jasper and Alice together always made me happy that I had Mike. Now seeing them together made me think about all the things their relationship had that mine never did.

Mike never cooked me breakfast in the morning. He never offered to help me with anything, willing to drop whatever he was doing at a moments notice. He never looked at me the way Jasper looks at Alice, and was never so willing to make me happy either.

I think things may have been amazing for us in the beginning. Aren't all new relationships that way? But slowly over time, I seemed to become more of a prize to him than a girlfriend. Anytime we went out, he was never hesitant to 'mark his territory'. When it was happening, I thought it was endearing, but now that I look back at it, I can see it was controlling.

I was brought out of my thoughts by my best friend bouncing in through the front door. 'Always so happy,' I laughed to myself.

"Good morning Bella!" Alice was always the picture of perfection. Her natural beauty was astounding, and she knew exactly how to dress to accentuate her best features.

Alice stopped in front of me, and placed a steam mug of coffee in my hands. I never had to question what she got me, because she knew me so well, she never had to ask.

"Thank you Alice! I don't know what I would do without you." She seemed instantly elated that my mood had obviously improved from the night before.

"Bella you know I would do anything in the world for you! I know we may not be related by blood, but you are my sister just as much as if we were related that way." She gave me a tight squeeze as she spoke to me.

"Seriously Alice, if there is anything I can do to make it up to you, anything at all…"

"I wouldn't say that if I were you!" She was smirking at me, "You know how I can torture you against your will." I was instantly wary about the words that had just come out of my mouth. I may love Alice, but she had a knack for getting me into the most uncomfortable situations.

"As a matter of fact Bella, there may just be something you can do for me tonight. I'll have to speak with Jasper about it though, so I'll get back to you!"

I suddenly had butterflies in my stomach. What had I done? I had just given Alice an invitation to torture me, I might be going back to my apartment sooner than I thought, I might even deal without it being 'de-Miked' just to get away from the torture that was sure to follow me now.

Alice starting laughing hysterically at the pained expression on my face, and barely got the words out, "RELAX Bella! It won't be awful, I promise!" She then turned, still laughing, and walked into the kitchen to find Jasper.

Almost as quickly as Alice went into the kitchen she was running back out, "Bella, Bella! You'll never guess what we're doing tonight!"

I suddenly remembered asking Jasper about his plans for the day, and him telling me all about the wedding shenanigans to come. I slapped my hand to my forehead and fell back on the couch. I knew exactly what I would be doing tonight.

"Alice…No!" I groaned. She was practically dancing around the couch as she was rattling off things that needed to be done in order for me to be ready to attend the party tonight.

"Oh Bella it's going to be so much fun! And there's sure to be some attractive guys there, and I can get you a new dress!"

Alice's mouth was moving a million miles an hour and I already knew it was too late to argue. Once you got her going, there was no way to stop her. I would just have to suck it up and attend this party with my head held high. Although, I did have one point I needed to get across.

"No boys Alice! I JUST broke up with Mike yesterday! For the love of all that is good and holy, please don't force me to put myself out there tonight, I'm not ready for another relationship!"

Alice stopped to look at me apologetically. "Bella I'm so sorry, of course I won't push any guys on you tonight. I'll make sure Jasper keeps in close proximity of you all night. I just want you to get out to get rid of all thoughts of that Jackass…"

"ALICE!!" She looked at me smugly. "Let's please not ever bring Mike up again, you're right, I need to get out, but promise me, NO BOYS!"

Alice giggled, "I promise Bella. Now, let's go out and find you something amazing to wear tonight. We'll go get your hair done too; I want to totally transform you tonight. Out with Mike's Bella and in with the newly single, sexy Bella!" I rolled my eyes at her enthusiasm, and stood up to find my shoes.

"Whatever you say Alice, but nothing too over the top please. I don't want to make a spectacle of myself."

"Sure thing Bells!" and Alice was skipping out the door to her car. What have I gotten myself into?

Alice and I arrived at the mall, and as soon as she had parked the car, she was out the door.

"Come on Bella! We have no time to waste." I may put up a hard front, but I think that deep down, I loved that Alice took such good care of me. I may even go so far as to say that I was looking forward to tonight a little bit. I was truly ready to leave 'Mike's Bella' behind, and I knew Alice was the only one who could get me pointed in the right direction.

Ready to hatch out of my shell, I followed Alice into the mall. Dresses were first on the agenda. Apparently tonight's dress code called for cocktail attire, and of course, Alice knew exactly which stored to go to that would have what we needed.

Since she was working with a limited amount of time, Alice was in and out of stores in record time. If she didn't see exactly what she wanted, then she didn't even waste her time. Normally, I would have had to try at least one item on in each store that I went to; but Alice was a woman on a mission.

I was about to protest the amount of stores we were walking into, and then right back out again; but when we walked into the last store I heard Alice gasp.

"Bella! That's the one." I let out a huge sigh of relief. By this point, I didn't care what she dressed me in; I just wanted to get out of there. Maybe that was her tactic all along; drag me in an out of stores until I was so fed up, that she didn't have to fight me too hard when it came to a dress.

Lucky for Alice, she didn't have to fight me at all on the dress that she chose. She went with a basic black, form fitting dress that was fitted all the way down to my knees. The top was sleeveless and square necked. It was a very simple dress, very classy, and most importantly very me!

"Alice it's perfect! But I'm so done shopping, so can we please buy it and get out of here?" Alice had to laugh at my slightly whiny tone, and gave me an encouraging nod.

"Of course Bells; let me just find your size, and we need to pick out some shoes too before we leave. I'll only be a minute, and then we get over to the salon to get your hair done." I was so relieved at the prospect of getting out of the mall, that I actually became helpful to Alice for once and found some shoes that she actually approved of.

The shoes were gold stiletto sandals with one strap across my toes, and one around my ankles. I was of course nervous about the height of the heel, but didn't want to waste any more time at the mall arguing with Alice, so I didn't vocalize my concerns.

As soon as we had made our purchases, Alice rushed me out of the store and out to the car. She was mumbling quietly to her self about 'not having enough time to work her proper magic' and I just had to laugh at her.

The salon experience was relatively painless. The stylist cut several more layers into my long brown hair, and gave me some very cute long bangs which swept over to the side of my face. The changes were subtle, but looked amazing, and I was already feeling like a new person.

Alice insisted on pedicures, since my toes would be out in the open all night for everyone to see; and I had no complaints about this, because it meant that I would actually be able to sit and relax for a minute before we went home. I knew that as soon as I stepped foot inside Alice's home, the real torture would begin. I was hoping secretly though, that it wouldn't be as bad, because my hair was already done. Knowing Alice though, she would most likely find something that she wanted to fix.

We arrived home, and I was exhausted. I flopped myself down on the couch, but knew that I couldn't get too comfortable. Alice had gone into the kitchen to get come cokes out of the fridge for us; and she actually let me relax a little longer while we had our sodas; but then it was time to get ready.

"Bella, hop in the shower, and I will have everything ready in the bathroom by the time you get out." So I was wrong, we were going to be fixing my hair, again.

The shower felt amazing, and I was so glad that Alice didn't rush me through that. The hot water relaxed my muscles, and made me feel as though I was going out tonight with a totally clean slate. No traces of Mike were left on me, at least not where anyone could see. The damage he had done to my heart was painfully evident to me, but I was going to try my hardest to heal that as best I could.

Alice was waiting for me after my shower. I slipped on a big fluffy robe, and sat down at the vanity while she proceeded to work her magic on me. My hair was left down, and Alice exaggerated the layers a little more than the stylist had this morning. My make-up was very subtle, yet beautiful, and I was so glad that she didn't go over the top.

When Alice was finished with hair and make-up, she pushed me into the closet to get my dress and shoes on. As I stepped out, fully dressed, she started clapping.

"You look amazing! If Mike could see you now, you would knock the breath out of him!"

"But Alice," I began, "None of this is for Mike, it's all for me, and finding myself again. I've been with Mike for so long that I need to re-discover the Bella that has been hiding for the past three years." Alice smiled happily at me, and excused herself to go get dressed.

By 8:00 Alice, Jasper and I were all dressed and ready to go; and as we stepped into the car, I couldn't help but feel a little excitement bubbling inside of me. Tonight was just the start of the rest of my life, without Mike. With that mantra in my head, we drove off to the party.

_A/N: I'm so excited at how well received my story seems to be! I love hearing all of your comments, and welcome and suggestions or ideas you may have for me! Thanks for reading! _

_Get ready for the next chapter, it's from our lovely Edward! _


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer:

_Alrighty! Here it is… Edward's point of view! I tried really hard to channel my inner Edward while writing this, and hope I did alright! Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer:**_

_**All Characters belong to the amazing Stephenie Meyer!**_

_EPOV_

Walking off the plane and away from Bella was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. Never in my life had I met someone that I felt such an immediate connection with. Everything about her seemed to draw me in; from her deep brown eyes all the way to the fuzzy pink socks she wore to keep warm. All I could do was pray that some how, some day, Bella and I would cross paths again.

I quickly made my way down to the baggage claim, and as soon as I stepped off the escalator I heard a loud squeal. Before I could react my sister had launched herself into me, knocking the breath out of me.

"Edward, I'm so glad you came! You don't know how much this means to Emmett and I that you will be here for all the wedding festivities!" She was absolutely glowing; I had never seen my sister so happy.

"Rosalie," I scolded, "You know I could never miss my sister's wedding! I'd do anything to make you happy." She started to tear up, and before they could spill over I spoke again.

"So, where's mom?" My mother Esme is the most amazing mother in the world. No one could ask for a better mom.

"She's waiting for us out in the car! Now hurry and grab your bag so we can get out of here. Emmett's waiting for us back at the house, and dad should be back from the hospital by the time we get home."

My father Carlisle was one of the most brilliant doctors in his field. He is extremely kind and giving, always helping those who can't afford care. He is the reason that I chose to be a doctor. He has inspired me since I was a young boy; and I am proud to follow in his footsteps.

Rose and I walked out of the airport to find our mother; and as soon as she saw us coming she stepped quickly out of the car. I couldn't help myself, and ran over to engulf her in a huge hug.

"Hi Mom." I squeezed her tightly while lifting her up in the air. She laughed and begged for me to put her down.

"Oh Edward, it's so good to see you! It's been far too long." She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, and we all got into the car.

"How was your flight dear? We got your tickets so last minute; did you have terrible seats?"

I couldn't help but smile when I thought of the seating arrangements on the flight. What would normally be seen as awful seats, set the stage for the most amazing flight I had ever experienced. I quickly brought myself away from those thoughts to answer my mother.

"You worry too much mother. My flight was actually very…pleasant." I couldn't seem to wipe the stupid grin off my face as my thoughts strayed once more to the beautiful woman I had just met.

"Edward, what aren't you telling us?" Rosalie chose this moment to be observant, and I silently cursed myself for not being able the keep the smile from my face.

"It's nothing Rose, I just was lucky enough to meet a lovely young woman on the flight." As I said this, my mother and Rose smirked at each other.

"Did you now? And does this 'lovely young woman' have a name?" Rosalie was not going to stop until she knew everything.

I sighed, knowing I was better off giving up all the information to them now. When my mother and sister put their minds to it, they were absolutely relentless until they knew every last bit of information they could squeeze out. Since I wasn't in the mood for an argument, I decided to play nice, and tell them what they wanted to hear.

"Her name is Bella." I began, "She lives here in Seattle, and is a photographer by profession." My mother and Rosalie sat perfectly still, waiting for me to divulge the rest of the details from my flight with Bella.

"She loves to read, and listen to music. She is beautiful and smart and I really connected with her on every level." Rosalie and my mother looked as though they were about to fall off the edges of their seat; just wait until I dropped the next bomb on them.

"We fell asleep together on the plane, her head resting on my shoulder. When the flight landed…" Rosalie's eyes were practically bugging out of their sockets.

"…when the flight landed I said goodbye, wishing her well in surprising her boyfriend on their three year anniversary." My face fell as I said the last part.

"What!!" Rosalie cried. "Edward Cullen that was just cruel! To get our hopes up, and then dash them that way was torture."

I had to chuckle a bit at my sister's angry expression, which only seemed to spur the anger on.

"Don't you dare laugh at me! We FINALLY hear you going ga-ga over a girl, and then you casually mention at the end of your heart wrenching story that she's taken? And for THREE YEARS!"

"Rose, Rose! Calm down alright?! I was just trying to illustrate how into this girl I am, and how devastated I was as well when she dropped the relationship bomb on me."

Rosalie's eyes softened at the hurt look on my face; and she was definitely right about one thing. I had never spoken so affectionately about a girl with my mom and sister before. I've had girlfriends before, but nothing serious. I had never been attracted to any of them like I was to Bella. I sighed as I thought to myself, 'if only fate could be a little kinder'.

When we got to the house, I was greeted at the front door by a booming Emmett.

"Hi-ya Eddie!! Still no girl to bring home to mom and dad eh?" I rolled my eyes at him, and he decided to put me in a choke hold, and muss my hair like a 5 year old.

"Ha! Still the same old Edward, it's good to see ya kid!" He called me kid like I was 20 years younger than him instead of 2. But that was Emmett, and deep down, he really was hard not to like.

"It's great to see you too Emmett. And I see we must have run out of bibs at the house for you?"

Emmett looked down at his shirt to see the large stain that appeared to be barbeque sauce. How he could have missed it is beyond me, it dripped all the way from his collar, practically down to his navel.

"Oh Eddie, always such a tease!" Emmett did his best woman's impression while swatting me on the arm. I couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Alright you two," Rosalie finally decided to intercede, "don't make me put you two babies in time out!" Emmett reached out and grabbed her around the waist, throwing her over his shoulder, and ran into the house yelling,

"I'll be good mommy I promise!" Rosalie couldn't contain her laughter as he repeatedly smacked her bottom like _she_ was the one in trouble.

My mom came up beside me and put her arm around my waist, guiding me inside.

"It's good to have you home Edward, your father and I have missed you terribly; and you have no idea how much it means to Rose that you could take so much time off to be here for her."

"It's good to be home mom, I've missed you all as well; and like I told Rose earlier; 'anything for the women in my life'." I couldn't help but wish that Bella would someday fall under that category.

My mom walked me to the kitchen to get me some food, which I was grateful for, because I hadn't eaten anything that day. A few minutes after I sat down to the table, my dad sauntered in to the kitchen, most likely to see what my mother was cooking up. When his eyes rested on me, a huge grin grew on his face.

"Edward, son! It's great to see you." He walked over to where I was sitting at the table, and I immediately stood up to give him a hug.

"It's great to see you too, dad." My father gave me a brief hug while giving me a firm pat on the back.

"So I see you've been dragged into this extravagant wedding as well! How on earth I agreed to pay for this, I'll never know." He shook his head at me as he continued, "One word of advice son, don't have a daughter!" He and I laughed at this comment, but were cut short by a loud shout from somewhere in the house.

"I heard that Dad!" My dad chuckled to himself and responded back;

"You know I love you Rosie!" No more banter was heard from the bride, so we were safe to assume that all was forgiven.

My dad and I sat at the table, as my mom brought over the most delicious looking sandwiches I had ever seen. Living in Chicago, going to Medical school, and now completing my residency; never gave me time for any really good meals. Every once in a while I would go out with some friends, but I never ate as well as I did when I was home.

When my mother set the sandwich down in front of me, I leaned over to give her a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you mom, this looks amazing!" She waved her hand at me as if to say 'it was nothing' and walked over to my father to give him his food.

My dad of course trumped me in the gratitude department; because when my mother set his plate in front of him, he pulled her down into his lap and kissed her passionately.

"Esme, darling, what would I do without you?" My mother blushed a thousand shades of red, embarrassed of my father's very romantic display of affection in front of their only son.

"Carlisle you tease! You only did that to humiliate me in front of poor Edward. Mind the boy's eyes, and save that enthusiasm for later." She gave my father a wink as she went to clean up the kitchen.

My father sat staring after my mother, eyes wide with shock. Esme had clearly given him a taste of his own medicine. It took my father a minute to recover, and as soon as he did, he turned back to face me.

"How was your flight Edward? I'm sorry that we couldn't get you better seats, we just waited to long to buy your tickets" My parents needed to stop worrying so much about me.

"The flight was very…comfortable, thank you for asking." As I said this, my mother turned around to grin at me; her hand over her mouth trying to stifle her laughter. I shot her a pleading look, hoping she wouldn't fill my dad in on the gossip.

My father looked back and forth between us, confused at my mother's expression.

"Is there something I'm missing?" He seemed truly confused about silent conversation my mother and I were having with our eyes.

"Oh no dad; mom just seems to be in an extremely light hearted mood today." She rolled her eyes at me as I said that, and luckily my dad seemed to take to excuse for our strange behavior.

I was finished with my food, and decided that I would like to get myself unpacked, and showered before I did anything else. I thanked my mother again for the meal, and excused myself to my room.

During my walk up the stairs of my childhood home, my thoughts wandered to my parents and the amazing lives they both had. They seemed to bee successful in everything; marriage, love, and family. I sincerely hoped that I would be so fortunate one day.

I can honestly say that I had never thought much about my future aside from being a doctor. I always knew I wanted that; but now I wanted more. I smiled to myself as I realized what brought about my change in attitude; 'Bella'. Just her name caused my heart to beat a little faster.

Watching my parents together made my heart ache for a similar relationship. I knew it took time, and hard work to get to where my parents were, but I wanted someone to achieve it with. I was one short year away from becoming a doctor; and then what? My only childhood dream would be fulfilled. It was time I start planning another part to my future. I wanted love that only a wife and children could bring me. My only fear was that I had just allowed my one true soul mate to slip through my grasp; but I couldn't give up hope! Things always seem to have a way of working out in the end.

I quickly unpacked all of my things, and made my way to the shower. Nothing relaxed me more than the hot water washing over my skin. I needed all the relaxing I could get. Tonight, Emmett's parents were coming to dinner; and if Emmett was any indicator of what his parents would be like, we were all in for a long and loud night.

My shower was everything I hoped it would be, and it seemed to wash away all my recent concerns about my life for the time being. I dressed in a simple white, long sleeve button up shirt, and dark jeans. Just as I was giving up on the mess I like to call my hair, the doorbell rang; and I wasn't two steps down the hallway before the house seemed to erupt in loud greetings and laughter. 'Yes' I thought to myself, 'A long night indeed.'

At 10:30, I finally excused myself from the raucous group that filled the living room. My head was starting to ache from all the booming voices bouncing around the living room. Since I had woken up earlier than usual, I thought it would be perfectly acceptable to call it a night.

"Goodnight Edward!" Everyone yelled to me in unison as I walked up the stairs.

I turned and gave them a final wave before retreating down the hallway to my bedroom. I shut the door and gave a loud sigh, walking over to the closet to hang up my things.

I crawled into bed, exhausted from the long day; and as my eyes drifted to sleep the face of my beautiful brown haired angel filled my mind.

When I woke the next morning, I was shocked to see that I had been allowed to sleep in. It was almost noon, and I felt well rested.

I threw on a t-shirt and pajama pants before heading downstairs. I could already smell something wonderful coming from the kitchen, and I couldn't wait to see what food my mother had for me.

I was stopped on my way through the living room by my sister; looking at me frantically as she started to speak.

"Edward, you're _finally_ awake! There is so much to do today; I don't know where to start!"

"It's alright Rose! Tell me what I can do to ease the burden for you today. You name it, and it's done." I felt sorry for my sister. She had spent months planning the wedding of her dreams, and tonight was the start of the month long extravaganza.

"Oh Edward you're a lifesaver! I really need someone to go over to the club and make sure everything is getting set up properly. You'll need to go to Kinkos first though, and pick up the name tags for the guests; and take them with you to drop off at the club."

Rose was speaking a million miles and hour as she rattled off her long list of 'to dos', and I tried to keep up with them all.

"Rosalie, look at me." She hesitantly stopped talking to hear what I had to say.

"I will get it all done fore you, don't worry! Just do what _you_ need to do today to be ready for tonight. I'm just going to grab some breakfast real fast, and then I'm out the door! It's all going to be perfect tonight, you'll see."

She seemed to visibly relax with all my reassurances, and gave me a tight hug.

"Thank you so much, I don't know what I did to deserve such an amazing brother!"

As she hurried out of the room to continue with her tasks, I went quickly to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat. It was going to be a busy afternoon, and I had to make sure I was back here with enough time to get ready for the party. Rose would have my head if I was late on her first big night.

I was in my car and on my way to my first stop rather quickly I thought; and I hurried as fast as I could to each destination on Rosalie's list. I was most worried about stopping at the club, afraid that I might need to spend a fair amount of time there; but I was relieved to see that everything was right on schedule, and would be 100 ready by 8:30 when the guests would start arriving.

I finished everything on the list, and not a moment too soon. I got back to the house with barely enough time to shower and get ready; and I hurried up to my room to take the quickest shower possible. Lucky for me, Rose had picked out my clothes for the evening since the words 'cocktail attire' didn't mean much to me.

Laying out on my bed waiting for me was a deep blue button up shirt, and black dress pants; and I silently thanked the gods of fashion that cocktail attire didn't include a tie. I dressed quickly, glancing in the mirror on my way out, while rolling my sleeves up to my elbows.

I hurried downstairs to find everyone waiting for me, and ready to go. Carlisle, Esme and I drove together, while Emmett and Rosalie followed in Emmett's car. The club was just a few miles away, and we made it there in time to get inside and wait for the guests to arrive.

Rosalie was pleased to find that everything in the club was perfect. At the back, several small round tables were set up, where people could stand and have a drink or appetizer. Over to the side was a seating area with plush couches and chairs, and then of course the main area of the club was empty, ready for dancing.

150 close friends and family would be attending the month of wedding festivities, and at promptly 8:30, the first of them started to arrive.

The atmosphere of the club started to pick up as more and more people filled the building. I made my way over to the bar to get a drink, when I felt a tap on the shoulder, and I came face to face with Emmett as I turned around.

"Eddie, bro! I made sure and invite all my single cousins, just for you! I'm sure you'll be able to find one that catches your eye." He gave me a wink and walked away, shouting someone's name as he went.

I ordered my drink and shook my head at Emmett's not so subtle attempt in finding me a girlfriend. I sat down at the bar, taking slow sips from my glass, and turned around to survey the room.

As my eyes glanced at the entrance, my heart stopped beating.

"It's not possible." I whispered to myself; and I got up to go greet the most beautiful woman my eyes had ever seen.

_Thanks for reading, and I love hearing all of your comments, so let me know what you think! _


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**Here it is! Chapter 6. Sorry that it took a minute to get it to you, I've been gone all weekend, but here it is! Enjoy!**

_**Disclaimer:**_

_**All Characters belong to the amazing Stephenie Meyer!**_

_BPOV_

The Drive to the club was uneventful, and I mostly felt sorry for Jasper. The whole way there, Alice was chattering non stop about the whole 'month long' wedding extravaganza, telling Jasper that she would like to do something similar. I could tell Jasper was doing all he could do _not _to pass out from listening to all of Alice's grandiose ideas; but he was a good sport, and managed not to say one negative comment during the whole conversation.

"If I ever manage to track down a husband, I think I'd just like to elope." We were pulling into the club as I dropped this bomb on Alice, and she looked at me as if she was about to have an aneurysm.

"Don't be ridiculous Bella! You would never do that to me, or your family for that matter! I think that anyone who elopes to escape wedding plans is extremely selfish."

"Calm down Alice." I needed to fix this so I didn't ruin her evening. "I'm sure that I would never do that; because even if I did manage to find someone to marry, you'd have the wedding plans set in motion before I even had a chance to announce it. I promise not to let you down Alice."

"Thank you Bella!" Alice seemed instantly relieved, and I was happy to make my best friend happy.

The parking lot was half full when we pulled into the club, and I silently wondered how many people would be attending these month long events, and how on earth the parents of the bride could afford something like this. I grew up in a small town, my parents making average salaries, and most of the time my mind couldn't comprehend spending money so frivolously.

"Now Bella," Alice said as she pulled me from my thoughts, "don't hesitate to stay close to Jasper all night. He'll be watching out for you, and make sure you don't get any sleaze balls hanging around you tonight."

"Thank you Alice, but I think I'll be able to handle myself tonight. The stunt Mike pulled has only increased my confidence around men, and I won't be putting up with any behavior that is less than gentlemanly."

Alice seemed satisfied by my answer, but still made me walk in to the club holding Jasper's arm. I can't say that I minded too much, at least the gesture might help fend off the overly eager men that are there.

From the outside, the building we were entering was nothing spectacular, besides all the twinkle lights wrapped around the trees; signifying the fact that an event was taking place. As soon as we entered though, it was like stepping into a world that I had never been a part of. It was obvious that this club was meant for the higher class population of Seattle; a class that I didn't belong in.

Whoever had chosen the decorations obviously had impeccable taste. The décor was lavish, but not in excess, and it all looked amazing, and created a very cozy atmosphere.

I was yanked by my admiration of the room by the loudest voice I had ever heard in my life.

"Jasper my man, you finally made it!" An extremely large man was plowing through the crowd, and headed straight for Jasper. I instantly released Jasper's arm, trying hurriedly to get out of this over-grown man's way.

"Emmett, you're still the loudest person I've ever met!" Jasper looked sarcastically at the mad apparently called Emmett, and was responded to by booming laughter.

"Lighten up buddy! Tonight's the first night of what's officially going to be the longest month of my life; so excuse me for trying to be lighthearted about it."

Jasper gave Emmett a sympathetic look, and forced a smile. "I'm just giving you a hard time man. It's great to be here, and let me introduce you to the beautiful women that I'm escorting this evening." Emmett had a huge grin on his face as Jasper continued.

"Of course you know my girlfriend Alice." Jasper brought Alice's hand to his mouth for a small kiss as Alice smiled and waved happily at Emmett.

"Hey squirt! Glad you could make it, Rose will be so excited to see you." Alice seemed totally at ease with the boisterous man as she answered him back.

"Thanks so much for having us Em! I can't wait to talk to Rose all about the rest of her plans for the month. This is such an amazing idea!" Emmett rolled his eyes at Alice's enthusiasm, and turned for the first time to face me.

"And who might this be?" I blushed automatically as Jasper began to introduce me.

"This is Bella. She and Alice have been best friends forever, and she's staying with us right now while we uh…work out some issues at her apartment."

"It's nice to meet you Bella. So are you single? 'Cause if you are, I need to introduce you to Eddie; he sure could use a hot girl like you."

"Emmett" Jasper's voice held a hint of a warning in it. "Bella just got out of a really bad break up, so no set ups tonight. Got it?"

Emmett looked at me sympathetically and nodded, "Sure thing Jas. I'm real sorry about that Bella."

I finally spoke for the first time since entering the club, "It's alright, it's for the best."

Emmett suddenly got called away by a group of people clear across the club, and I breathed a sigh of relief. "Your cousin seems very…nice."

Jasper snorted at that and turned to look at me. "Sure he is, if nice is loud and obnoxious. In that case, Emmett's the _nicest _guy in the world."

The three of us had to laugh at that. In all fairness, Emmett seemed like a genuinely nice guy; I don't know how anyone related to Jasper couldn't be.

"Why don't we head over to the bar to get some drinks, and then go sit down in some of those very plush looking couches?" Alice seemed excited to get our evening started, and both Jasper and I nodded our heads in agreement at her; following her lead over to the bar.

We hadn't taken anymore than a few steps towards the bar, when I locked eyes with the most beautiful green eyes I had ever seen.

I stopped dead in my tracks, causing Alice and Jasper to look at me; confusion written across their faces.

"Oh my…" I couldn't get any more words out, because Edward, _the Edward, _was standing directly in front of me, his eyes lit up in excitement. I can't say that I ever thought I would see these beautiful green eyes again, and I stood there with my mouth hanging open, probably looking like a first class idiot.

"Bella." A beautiful crooked grin spread across his face as he spoke my name. His voice was as smooth as velvet, and I found myself wishing to always be able to hear that voice; like sweet music to my ears.

Edward was looking down at me, waiting for me to snap out of my daze. I shook my head a tiny bit, and let a genuine smile come across my face.

"Edward! I can't believe it's you. What are you doing here?" Suddenly everything started falling into place.

Edward had told me on the plane that he was flying to Seattle for his sister's wedding; a wedding that would take place over the course of a month. I just couldn't believe I didn't figure it out sooner.

"Well, this is my sister's wedding, so forgive me if I ask you the same question."

Just then I heard Alice clear her throat next to me. I had totally forgotten all about Alice and Jasper, and felt rude for not having introduced them.

"I'm so sorry Edward, I forgot to introduce my friends." Alice had a devious look in her eye as she put her hand out for Edward.

"I'm Alice, Bella's best friend, and this is my boyfriend Jasper. Jasper is Emmett's best man and cousin. It's _so_ nice to meet you Edward; I've heard so much about you from Rosalie." Alice smiled warmly at Edward, obviously plotting something in that brilliant little mind of hers. Jasper all put his hand out for Edward to shake.

"Ah yes, Emmett has told me about you Jasper. It's so nice to meet you both; and Alice I'm afraid that I've also heard a great deal about you as well." Edward gave me a quick wink as he spoke to Alice, causing my heart to practically fly out of my chest.

"About that Edward; if you don't mind me asking, how do you know my friend Bella here?" Alice shot me a dark look, telling me that she was not pleased about my withholding information from her. Information like, how could I not mention meeting the most gorgeous man on the face of the earth?

"Bella and I happened to be sitting next to each other yesterday, on our flight from Chicago to Seattle. Isn't that right Bella?" Edward smiled at me, and I had to catch my breath before I spoke.

"I, uh… yes that's right." I was stuttering like an idiot in front of Edward, which immediately caught Alice's attention; I'm not usually so incoherent while talking to someone.

Understanding entered Alice's eyes as she realized why I hadn't mentioned meeting this beautiful stranger to her sooner. My somewhat dramatic break-up with Mike had caused everything else to slip my mind, and Alice understood.

"Well Edward, it's so nice to meet you. Jasper and I were actually headed over to the bar to get a drink, so we'll carry on and let you and Bella catch up." Alice grinned over at me as her and Jasper continued to walk to the bar.

Edward and I stared at each other for what seemed like hours before he finally spoke.

"Bella, I'm so thrilled that you're here. I honestly never thought I would see you again."

"I know what you mean," I answered him, "but I'm very pleasantly surprised."

"As am I Bella, you have no idea. Would it be alright if we went and spoke somewhere a little more secluded? I would love to keep talking to you."

I nodded my head a little too eagerly, which caused a gorgeous smile to light up Edward's face. I couldn't help myself; this mad brought out the most uncharacteristic reactions out of me.

Edward led me over to a small love seat at the back of the club; and we sat down facing each other, once again gazing into each other's faces for an immeasurable amount of time. Edward was once again the first to break the silence.

"Bella, I hope that you can forgive me for my abrupt departure yesterday. I think it must have seemed as though I was being very rude." Edward looked apologetic as he spoke to me.

"Edward please, you have nothing to be sorry for. If I seemed upset, it was only because I was so shocked at your kind words that I couldn't say anything back to you. Truly, there is no need to apologize." I was sincere as I spoke to him. I was just so glad to see him again, and my mind was still working hard to process it all.

"Thank you Bella, you don't know how much it relieves me that you aren't upset with me. I would still like the chance to explain my actions though, if you don't mind." I nodded at him, encouraging him with my eyes to continue.

"You see Bella," he began, "you need to understand that I have never felt so comfortable, so at ease with anyone as I did with you on the plane yesterday. I felt, well I feel this unexplainable connection to you, which truthfully scares me a little. I knew that if I didn't make it short and quick goodbye to you yesterday, I might never have been able to walk away from you. It took all the strength I had in me to leave you behind on that airplane."

His eyes were kind, yet intense as he spoke to me. I was grateful for the darkness of the room so he couldn't see my blush, and I wondered if he could possibly hear my heart hammering in my chest. Since I didn't say anything, he kept speaking.

"Forgive me for pouring my heart out to you like this, I just can't help myself around you. You're an incredible woman, and I'll say it again, you're boyfriend is incredibly lucky. Speaking of that, tell me how your surprise went yesterday."

Edward must have seen the pain flash in my eyes at the mention of Mike, and looked at me confused. I knew from the moment I saw him that this topic would have to be addressed; I just didn't know if I was ready for it to come up so early in our conversation. I sighed and thought to myself 'best to just get it all out of the way.'

"Edward, this is kind of a long story, and I'm not sure that you'll want to hear it." Edward smiled softly at me.

"Bella, please know that you can tell me anything." I felt a small amount of encouragement from his words, and began my story.

"Well, after I got my bags from the airport, I drove home to my apartment, planning on getting ready and making dinner for Mike; a romantic evening in sounded nice. When I pulled into the parking garage, I noticed that Mike's car was there. I was a little disappointed that I would have to surprise him in my sweats, but wasn't too worried because I knew he'd be happy to see me."

I chuckled darkly as I continued, "When I got inside, Mike wasn't anywhere visible, but I had heard a noise in the bedroom so I walked down the hall to say hello. When I opened the door, I froze in shock. Mike was standing by the bed, naked, with an extremely guilty look on his face, and there in _my_ bed was Mike's Secretary Jessica."

I looked over to Edward, and he had an unreadable expression on his face. His mouth was drawn into a tight line, and his eyes were focused on the floor. His voice was barely above a whisper as he spoke to me.

"Bella, I'm so sorry. I can't believe anyone could think of hurting you that way, it's unforgivable."

"You're right, it was unforgivable, and I kicked him and that little skank out of my house. I hope I never see him again."

Edward looked up from the floor, his eyes softening as we stared at each other. Looking into those deep green eyes, caused me to forget about Mike completely, and I wanted to stray away from that topic of conversation.

"Anyways," I began again, "I called Alice immediately, and she took me back to her house to stay for a few days. She and Jasper are moving all of Mike's things out for me, and burning the sheets on my bed." Edward laughed lightly as I said this, and I was glad to finally be able to speak about Mike without letting my emotions get the better of me.

"Bella, you have no idea how happy I am that you are here. Truth be told, I haven't stopped thinking about you since I got off the plane yesterday." The look in his eyes as he spoke to me was intense, and I felt as though I was unconsciously being drawn in to him, deeper and deeper as he held my gaze.

I finally was able to snap out of it a little, and shook my head to try and form some sort of coherent thoughts. My attempts were useless though, so I decided to just tell him how I felt.

"Edward, I would be lying if I said I didn't feel a strong connection with you yesterday. I was thrilled beyond belief to see you here tonight, and I can honestly say that I would like nothing more than to get to know you better. Just please understand, that my heart is still very fragile, and I'm in no shape to start something more right now."

Edward looked sympathetically at me as I poured my heart out to him and took my hand; rubbing soothing circles into it.

"Bella, I would never force you into something you weren't entirely comfortable with, and I promise you right now that I will take care of your heart. Just knowing that I will be able to see you, and spend time with you will be enough for me. Please tell me that you'll allow me to get to know you properly?"

I was thrilled that he seemed excited about spending time with me. I knew that getting to know him better would be easy, because it already seemed as if I had known him my entire life.

"Edward I would love to get to know you properly; and I'm sure Alice and Jasper will be grateful to you for taking me off their hands for a little while." Edward let a huge smile come across his face as I told him this, and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Bella you've just made what's sure to be a long and tedious month sound very appealing. So I must ask you if you'll be my guest to all the wedding activities for the month."

Normally, I would never want to agree to a month of wedding activities, but if I could be there with Edward, I was sure I would be just fine. Plus, Alice and Jasper would be there as well, and I could definitely use the time to get over my breakup with Mike.

"Edward I would be honored to be your guest for the remainder of your sister's wedding. Although, I think that we better ask your sister first don't you think? I wouldn't want to ruin her wedding plans."

Edward laughed as I said this. "Of course we can ask her, but I assure you that as soon as she meets _you _she'll be thrilled to have you join the group!"

I didn't miss the way he said '_you_' as if he had already told his sister all about me. I wondered silently if he had.

Edward stood up and held his hand out to me. "Come on Bella, let me go introduce you to my sister, Rosalie."

He continued to hold on to my hand as we walked through the club to find his sister; and my heart beat wildly because of the contact. Alice caught my eye as we walked across the room, a smug smile on her face. I could only shake my head.

_She'll never let me live this down_ I thought to myself. And I walked on with Edward, ready to meet his sister.

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	7. Chapter 7

Ch

**All things Twilight belong to the amazing Stephenie Meyer!**

**Here's Chapter 7, so enjoy! And thank you to all my readers and reviewers! You are all amazing!**

_EPOV_

I couldn't bring myself to let go of her hand as we walked through the club. I was trying to fathom everything that was happening. I was here, holding the hand of the most beautiful and amazing girl I had ever met; and she was _single_! I don't know what I had done to deserve this degree of good fortune, but I wasn't going to question it.

Bella had been plaguing my thoughts ever since I first saw her sitting on the plane. There was something about her that pulled me in. Earlier in the evening I felt as though my eyes were drawn to the entrance of the club just when she was walking in. I am not a superstitious person, but I couldn't think of anything other than _fate _when I thought over all that had happened between Bella and I in the last two days. Obviously this girl was something special, and I wasn't going to walk away from her again.

We found my sister on the edge of the dance floor, speaking with some of her high school friends. I was trying to figure out a way to silently communicate with Rose that this was 'The Bella', the girl I had spoken non stop about on the way home from the airport yesterday.

I turned to Bella to point out my sister; "That's Rosalie right there, in the middle of all those overly blonde women."

I heard Bella let out a small chuckle because of my obvious distaste for overly blonde women. Hopefully she didn't think that I included my blonde sister in that group. Rosalie's hair was as natural blonde as it could be. All anyone had to do was see my father, and they would understand where she got it from.

As I looked at her eyes I could see a hint of nervousness in them so I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Don't worry Bella, Rose will love you; and I promise that she doesn't bite." I grinned at her, happy to see a genuine smile beaming back at me. I waited for her to say something back, desperate to hear that sweet voice of hers; she didn't disappoint.

"Well, lead the way then! Better to get this over with quickly." I laughed at her sudden change of attitude.

I had an overwhelming desire running through me to spend as much time with this perfect creature that I possibly could. Everything she did took me by surprise, and I wanted to look into those deep brown eyes and get lost in them forever.

I made a decision right then, that as soon as I had introduced her to Rose, I would ask her if she wanted to leave. I needed to be alone with her; away from the prying eyes of our family and friends. I was determined to spend as much time with her as she would allow, and I wanted to get to know her properly now, so that I could become closer to her that much faster. Just the feel of her small hand in mine; the way it fit so perfectly, about drove me insane. Never had someone had such an immediate effect over me, and I found myself liking it, a lot.

Rosalie must have seen us standing near her, because she was suddenly right next to me.

"Edward, hello!" She glanced quickly at my hand, intertwined with Bella's and turned to look at me with wide eyes. I wasn't sure if Bella noticed the silent exchange, but I spoke quickly to answer Rose's silent question.

"Rose I would like to introduce you to Bella, she's here with Jasper; Emmett's best man, and his girlfriend Alice." Rosalie didn't seem to register the name yet and turned to Bella with a smile.

"Bella it's so nice to meet you, and I'm so glad that you could make it tonight. But I have to ask, how do you know my brother?" I looked at Bella, afraid that she might feel that she was being put on the spot, but she seemed perfectly at ease as she answered.

"It's nice to meet you too, and thank you for having me at this lovely party!" Rose smiled widely at her, always happy to hear someone enjoying her party, and Bella continued.

"And as for how I met Edward, that's an interesting story. We actually met on the plane yesterday. We were sitting next to each other in the back row of the airplane, and commiserated together about the lack of reclining seats." She looked up at me and smiled, and I couldn't help but smile back at her, remembering our flight together.

Rosalie's eyebrows knitted together for a moment, and then a look of comprehension crossed her face; she had remembered. Rose looked over at me, disbelief in her eyes. I didn't want to cause an awkward moment, so I spoke up, once again filling the silence.

"I wanted to introduce Bella to you, and actually ask a favor. You know that I love you Rose, but this month long wedding could become a little bit tedious for me. I was wondering if it would be too much hassle to bring Bella with me to all the events, you know as a friend." Bella seemed to be relieved that I wasn't going to push her for more, at least not yet I wasn't.

Rose clapped her hands loudly and threw her arms around Bella. It was a little awkward as Bella was still holding tightly to my hand, but Rose didn't seem to notice.

"Oh Bella of course you can join Edward! I couldn't think of anything I would love more. I'm so relieved that he wont be attending all the wedding activities alone. I was afraid I was going to have to worry about finding him female entertainment the entire time." Bella seemed to be stifling a giggle as Rosalie spoke, and I just rolled my eyes at her.

"Nice Rose. I don't know why you even try with setting me up with some of your ridiculous girlfriends. You know better than anyone that I don't enjoy the company of superficial women." Rosalie grinned at me.

"Well now I don't have to worry about you do I? You have Bella here to keep you company" I could tell that this conversation was going to turn into something I didn't want it to if I didn't get Bella out of there.

"Rose, thank you so much for allowing me to keep Bella with me throughout your wedding; and I'll talk to you tonight when we get home!" Rose grinned at me, knowing that I was trying to get away from her embarrassing comments, and be alone with Bella.

Bella seemed a little confused about why we were departing so quickly, but Rose chimed in before she could say anything.

"Yes Edward, we _will _talk later." I gulped, thinking about the upcoming interrogation, and Rose turned to address Bella. "It was so nice to meet you Bella, and I look forward to getting to know you better throughout the next month."

"It was nice meeting you too Rosalie, and I'm delighted that you'll have me at your wedding." Bella and Rosalie smiled warmly at each other, and I couldn't have been more thrilled.

To see my only sibling, and the woman I knew I was going to fall hard for obviously getting along was amazing. Everything was just falling into place, and I couldn't have been happier.

As Rose walked away to greet more of her guests I turned to Bella.

"Bella, would you mind terribly if we left? I would really like to spend some time with you, but in a quieter setting."

"Of course not Edward; I would love nothing more. I do need to tell Alice though. Would it be alright if we said goodbye to her before we left?"

My heart was doing flips inside my chest. _She wants to leave with me_ I thought to myself.

"Of course, let's go find Alice and let her know we're taking off. I'll also let her know that I'll take you home, then she wont have to worry."

Bella was still holding tightly to my hand as we wound our way through the people in search of Alice. I didn't know how on earth we would find her, she was probably the tiniest girl I'd ever seen. Before I could think another thought though, Alice came bounding up to us.

"Bella, Edward! There you are!" She pulled Bella into a tight hug, causing her hand to drop from mine. I couldn't help but frown at the loss of contact.

"Alice I'm glad we found you!" Bella had pulled away and was facing Alice as she spoke. "Would you mind if I left with Edward? We both want to get away from the noise."

I suddenly felt insecure as Alice turned her scrutinizing eye on me. The look she was giving me let me know one thing; _just try anything and you'll regret it_. I tried to give her the most reassuring smile possible; hoping that she would see that I could never hurt her friend. It seemed to work, because she turned back to Bella with a warm smile on her face.

"Go have fun Bella, and I'll wait up for you to make sure you get home alright." Alice threw another hard glance my direction; her massage was delivered effectively. For someone so small, she frightened me.

"I'll see you tonight Alice, enjoy the rest of your night." Bella and I waved goodbye as Alice stood still, drink in hand watching us walk away.

My fear of Bella's tiny friend dissipated rapidly as Bella's hand found its way to mine again, this time our fingers intertwining.

"Sorry about Alice, she can be extremely protective of me. It doesn't help that Mike just…" Bella grew quiet, and I stopped walking.

I turned Bella to face me, and pulled her into a hug. If I thought her hand fit perfectly in mine, that was nothing compared to how she felt in my arms. She buried her head in my chest as I tried to speak soothing words to her.

"It's alright Bella. You must believe me that I would never… could never hurt you. I know we've only known each other for a short time, but I feel an overwhelming need to protect you. I especially feel the need to protect you from your thoughts of Mike. Let me help you get your mind off him tonight."

I felt her nodding into my chest, and I couldn't help but take her face in my hands, directing up towards mine.

There were tears in her eyes, and I brought my thumb up to gently wipe them away. She closed her eyes leaned her face into my hand; allowing me to stare at her. I was in awe at this beautiful woman. Every time our eyes locked, she pulled me in a little deeper. It wouldn't be long before I was lost to her completely.

"Are you ready to leave?" I spoke gently, not wanting to startle her.

She slowly opened her eyes to look at me. She nodded once, and I put my arm around her, leading her out to the parking lot.

As soon as we stepped outside, I felt like an idiot. I had driven here with my parents. Never in my wildest dreams did I actually think I might leave with someone tonight, therefore I didn't drive myself. I had to think quickly.

"Bella, could you excuse me for just a moment? I seemed to have left my keys inside, I'll be right back."

"Of course, I'll wait right here." I stole one more glance at her before I ran back into to club.

I spotted my father first and rushed over to him. He stopped his conversation as I approached and turned towards me.

"Edward, I haven't seen you all night! Let me introduce you to…" I didn't have time for this.

"Actually dad," I cut him off, "I _really _need to take the car. Do you think that you and mom could find a ride home?"

My father raised an eyebrow at me, and a knowing smirk crossed his face.

"Of course Edward, I wont keep you any longer" He reached into his pocket and pulled out the key to his car. He dropped the key into my eager hands and winked at me.

"Thanks dad." I turned away from him and hurried out the door as quickly as possible.

Bella was exactly where I had left her, and I grabbed her hand as I walked past her, pulling her with me to the car.

"Whoa!" She laughed, "In a hurry are we?"

I walked quickly to the passenger door of my father's black Mercedes and opened the door for Bella. I finally answered her as she got into the car.

"In a hurry to be alone with you? You have no idea." I shut the car door, and made my way around to the driver's side.

I stopped before I pulled out of the parking lot, wondering where we should go. In all honestly, I didn't care where we went, as long as I was with Bella. She may have other ideas though, and I turned to ask her.

"Where to milady?" Bella's eyes were alight with amusement as she answered.

"Well my fine sir, I do seem to be quite famished! A bite to eat would be lovely."

"As you wish."

I knew exactly the place to take her; it was small and quiet, the perfect place to talk uninterrupted.

We were seated at a booth in the small café, and I immediately began my questioning. There was still so much I didn't know about this amazing woman in front of me, and I fully intended to find out all the answers to my questions.

"So tell me more about your work. I know that you are a photographer, but what is your specialty?" Bella set her menu down to look at me.

"Well, my passion is photographing children. They are so unpredictable, and make the most beautiful photographs. If I could, I would specialize in that field; I actually hope to be able to do that someday. For now though, I am doing any kind of portrait photography; weddings, family, individual, whatever is needed. On my own I like to expand my horizons and photograph scenery as well."

I loved watching her face as she spoke about her job. I could tell that it was something she truly enjoyed, and I really hoped that she would allow me to see some of her work.

"And what made you decide on photography as a career?" I was so curious to know every little detail concerning all aspects of her life.

"It actually started out as a hobby." She began, "and then people started commenting on how beautiful my work was. I could think of nothing more fulfilling that making a career out of my favorite hobby, so I started getting my name out there. I had to do a lot of stuff for free at first, but it paid off. Now I make a decent income, and I can honestly say that I _love _my job." She smiled at her last statement, and I was grateful that we already had one thing in common.

Becoming a doctor was my passion. Helping people was all I wanted to do. I enjoy every day that I get to spend at the hospital, and I never feel more satisfied than when I truly make someone's life easier because of the work that I do. And also, like Bella, I share her fascination in children; I am specializing in pediatrics.

"Bella that's amazing. I'm sure that many people envy you; loving your job like you do." She smiled and nodded her head.

"I'm sorry to change subjects so quickly, but I'm desperate to learn all I can about you. I would love to know all about your family." It was hard to ask her this, not knowing if it was a sensitive subject or not.

She seemed to contemplate something for a minute, and then began.

"I was born in Forks, Washington like I told you on the plane. We lived in a small house there, just me and my parents; I have no siblings. My father Charlie, and my mother Renee were married young, right out of high school; and I came shortly after. I can't say for sure if I was an unwelcome surprise, but I have my suspicions. My parents never showed me anything but love and adoration though, so even if I was a mistake you'd never know from their actions."

Her eyes seemed to darken a little bit as she continued, and I hoped that I hadn't pushed for too much information.

"When I was ten years old, I came home from school to find both of my parents in hysterics. They were yelling and pointing fingers at each other; I had no idea what was going on. I'd never seen my parents unhappy before, so it came as quite a shock to see them so… I don't know, at each other's throats."

"There finally came a point during the yelling that my mom threw her hands up in the air and told Charlie that she was leaving. She didn't even look at me as she grabbed her purse and keys and walked out of our lives."

A small tear rolled down her cheek as she spoke about her mother, and I felt like hitting myself for bringing up a sensitive subject.

"Bella, I'm so sorry, I…I didn't mean to make you speak about unpleasant things." She forced a little smile out at me while wiping her cheek.

"Please don't feel bad Edward; you couldn't have known. It actually gets a little better, if you want me to continue."

"Yes of course! Please go on." I'd listen to anything that came out of her mouth.

"Well, after she left, Charlie did the best he could. He tried not to show how much he was hurting, but of course I knew that my mother had left her mark. He always loved her, still does to this day."

"After a few years, Renee contacted me. She wrote me a letter, explaining herself. Telling me how sorry she was and how much she loved me. She wanted me back in her life, but wasn't sure if I would be willing. She wrote the letter to give me the option. She left her address and phone number and told me to call if I was willing to start to forgive her for what she had done."

"It took a while for me to reply, but I finally decided that I needed her. I wanted my mother in my life. She was ecstatic of course, and booked me a flight to Phoenix right away to visit her."

"I don't hold a grudge against her for what she did to Charlie and me. Throughout the years I have even come to understand her decision. She's always been a free spirit, and needs to live on her own, be her own person. She can't live being tied down to anything."

I suddenly remembered something, "But didn't you tell me you had been in Florida, helping her move in with someone?"

"Ah yes, Phil. They've been together for a little while now. I'm actually very surprised that it has lasted this long. They have a very…_open _relationship. It's the only way Renee could handle it. I can see that she loves him, and maybe one day, he'll get her to settle down. For now though, their relationship works this way, and as long as she is happy; so am I."

"You're mother is a very lucky woman to have you as a daughter. I don't think everyone could be so understanding and full of unconditional love as you seem to be." I stared in amazement at Bella. She was such a strong person; and seemed wise beyond her years.

"I sympathize with her. I think a little bit of her free spirit was given to me, and I can see her point of view when others can't."

We continued talking for hours it seemed; growing more and more comfortable with each other as the minutes ticked by. She was perfect, and I was a goner.

At midnight, the café owner informed us that they were closing. We were sure to leave a generous tip on our table, and went to get into my father's car.

"Bella, I've had an amazing evening with you. I can't wait to spend time with you for the next month; I couldn't think of anything better." She smiled widely at me and interlaced her fingers with mine for the remainder of our drive to Alice and Jasper's home.

When we pulled into the driveway, my heart began to ache for our impending separation. I had to see her again soon.

"Can I take you to lunch tomorrow?" I blurted it out, sounding a little desperate I thought. "I just… there's this great restaurant overlooking the water, and I'd love to take you there tomorrow; if you don't have any plans." She laughed at my insecure expression.

"Edward you act as if I don't want to see you as much as you want to see me. Of course I would _love _to go to lunch with you tomorrow. I am technically still on vacation until Monday, and would love for something to occupy my time."

I let out a huge breath of air, so happy that she was willing to see me again.

"I'll pick you up at 1:00 then. Is that alright?"

"It's perfect, I can't wait." With that she leaned over the center consol to kiss my cheek, and got out of the car.

"Goodnight Edward!" I sat frozen in my seat, the skin on my cheek searing from where her soft lips had placed the lightest of kisses.

I watched her walk inside, and shook my head violently to regain my senses. It was going to take every effort on my part to take things slowly for her. I knew she needed time, but time was something I didn't have a lot of. I would be returning to Chicago in a month, and I couldn't leave without making her mine. I know that sounds terribly possessive, but the thought of her not being with me is unthinkable.

When I arrived home, I was happy to see that Rose and Emmett weren't back yet. I wasn't ready for the interrogation that was sure to come from my sister, and I was happy that it could wait until morning. All I wanted to do was crawl into my bed, and give myself over to dreams of Bella; which is exactly what I did.

**Thanks to everyone for reading! Drop me a line and let me know what you thought! **


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**Here's chapter 8! Thanks again to everyone who is reading my story, and thanks to all of you who have reviewed! Your encouragement keeps me going! **

**And SORRY that this is so short! **

_Alice POV_

I watched Bella as she left the club with Edward, and the wheels in my mind were turning. Of course I felt the need to shield Bella from any man who might hurt her, but Edward seemed so different.

From the way that Rosalie spoke about her brother, he seemed too good to be true; I'd never met any guy who fit the characteristics that Rose gave to Edward; _except my Jasper, _I thought to myself. If Edward was truly the man that Rosalie made him out to be, I could think of no better match for Bella.

I have to admit, seeing Bella walking with Edward, hand in hand, made me want to jump up and down; shouting for joy. I wanted Bella to be careful though, she had _just_ had her heart broken yesterday! Bella isn't the type of person to rush into anything without making sure it's what is best for her, but the way she was already acting with Edward worried me a little bit. I don't know how much more her heart could take if things went bad with Edward.

On the other hand, this could be exactly what Bella needs; someone to keep her mind off Mike, and help her heal at the same time. I decided that Rose and I needed to powwow about this. Edward being her brother, and Bella being my best friend gave us both all the insight we needed to figure this out.

"Jasper!" I called to him. He looked over at me, and then excused himself from the circle of people he was talking to.

"What can I do for you my love?" Jasper was looking at me seductively, and I tried to remember what I was going to say to him.

"Don't look at me like that! I can't remember what I was going to tell you." I pouted at him, which caused him to laugh at me.

"Forgive me Alice; I promise to be on my best behavior, at least until the party is over. Now, what would you like to tell me?" I couldn't help but let my mind wander at Jasper's suggestiveness.

"Have you seen Rosalie? I really need to talk to her." Jasper rolled his eyes at me.

"You sneaky little thing, what are you plotting this time; and who's the poor soul being plotted against?" Jasper knew me too well, but I didn't have time to waste; I had to find Rose.

"All in good time Jasper; have you seen Rosalie or not?"

"I believe that she's out on the dance floor with Emmett as we speak." Thank goodness, I'm sure that Emmett wouldn't mind me stealing his lovely fiancée for a minute.

"Thank you Jasper." I got up on my tippy toes to give him a quick peck on the cheek, and I was off to find Rosalie.

Sure enough, Rosalie and Emmett were getting their groove on with quite a large circle of people surrounding them. Both of them absolutely loved being the center of attention, and I couldn't help but watch them until the song ended.

The song was finally over, and everyone clapped and cheered for the guests of honor. Rose and Emmett drank it all in; bowing and blowing kisses to all of their adoring fans. I parted my way through the crowd to get to Rosalie; I couldn't wait any longer.

"Alice, isn't my future hubby and _amazing_ dancer?" Rosalie was making goo-goo eyes at Emmett with a silly grin plastered on her face.

_She's clearly had enough to drink._

I grabbed her hand and started dragging her off the dance floor. Emmett hardly seemed to notice, because a new song had started up; and he was already dancing, oblivious to the fact that I had stolen his partner.

"Rose, we have some _urgent_ matters to discuss." We sat down on one of the couches at the back of the club, away from prying eyes and ears.

"Do tell Alice; you know how much I love scheming with you." I was praying that intoxicated Rosalie would make it through my plan; I needed her firing on all cylinders.

"I'm glad you feel that way Rose, because this particular plan is going to require a great deal of work on our part." Rosalie was looking at me with a wicked glint in her eye, ready to participate in whatever scheme I laid out for her.

"I enlisted your help specifically, because we are dealing with a certain _best friend_ of mine, and a certain _brother_ of yours." Understand lit Rosalie's featured, and she broke out in a huge grin.

"Alice you devious little pixie. I'll gladly help you take on said brother and best friend. Heaven knows Edward's in dire need of a girlfriend." Rosalie was in, and between the two of us; my plan couldn't fail.

"Here's the thing Rose; Bella just got her heart stomped on _yesterday_ so we need to proceed with caution. She won't be ready to jump into a new relationship just yet, but I think your brother is exactly the guy she needs to move on from her recent heartbreak." Rosalie's eyes softened and she nodded at me. We girls have to stick together when it comes to lousy men.

"Alice, I think you're exactly right. You should have seen Edward yesterday when we picked him up from the airport. All my mom did was ask him about his flight, and he couldn't keep the stupid grin off his face. I think Bella is just the girl to break down his carefully cultivated walls put in place to keep any girl out. He thinks he's better off alone."

"I'm so happy to hear you feel the same Rose, and now we can get started. Let me tell you what I was thinking…" I proceeded to tell Rosalie my ideas of bringing Edward and Bella together.

I was thrilled to learn that Edward had already invited Bella to attend all the wedding events with him; that was one less thing I would have to worry about. By the time this month was over, Bella was going to be saying 'Mike who?'.

_Now, off to find my man. _There was no way Jasper was going to get away with his seductive behavior earlier. Bella or no Bella in our house, he was in for a treat tonight.

**Alright, I know that this was really short, but I wanted to get it out before Breaking Dawn. Also, forgive me for the next couple weeks if my updates don't come regularly; my little family is moving out of state, and I'm going to be busy with that. If any of you lovelies are in Iowa, I'm coming to your great state! **

**Let me know what you think!!**


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